In typical environments for executing a virtual machine on a client machine, the client machine accesses a virtual disk image file in order to execute the virtual machine. Conventionally, when a user of the client machine attempts to make a modification that would result in a modification to the virtual disk image file (for example, by attempting to modify operating system data, create new files, or modify existing files), the modification is made instead to a difference disk associated with the virtual disk image file. In some environments, the process of storing an identification of the modification in the difference disk is referred to as generating a snapshot.
In typical environments for archiving the virtual disk image file and any associated difference disks, all of the files are archived. However, generating back-up copies of virtual disk image files and difference disks may be computationally- or resource-intense. For example, the files may require several gigabytes of storage space and to make a copy of that would consume computational resources and storage device resources. Additionally, in some environments, where an archive copy is transmitted over a network to a remote machine, the generation and transmission of the archive copy of the virtual disk image files and difference disks may be inefficient or consume more of the computational resources of the client machine than a conventional user would find desirable.